The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1887-01-15

ditfidently, threw himself face downs
ward at her feet; then, still kneeling,
he felt in tho bosom of his silken robe
and drawing out his visiting card,
painted in the highess style of Chinese
art on rice paper, crimson in color and
a foot and half long, respectfully pre-
scented it,
"The Princess had not caught any
fish, and besides had grown tired OF
sitting there on the shore alone. So
she graciously deigned to receive his
card, glanced at the youth, and per-
ceiving that his eyes were as narrow
and oblique and his pigtail almost as
long and thick as her own. pronounced
him TO herself a very handsome man.
She commanded the kneeling youth to
arise and seat himself by her side.
Well, the Princess and the architect
sat there Oh the sands, and the little
bluebirds above their heads sang and
sang and flew about and around them.
The line fell from the Princess hand
and sank down into the sea. How TIT
foo found the courage to do so | don't
know, but an hour had hardly gone by
when he flung himself at the Princess
little feet and begged her to be his wife
and share with him the artists loaf.
"Artist's loaf-how does it taste, I
wonder?" asked Felicia, who had not
spoken before.
"Oh, not so bad; it is kneaded by the
MUSES. and baked by Apollo. Some
people, not many fear, however, eat
it with relish, at least in China and
Japan, if not in England or America.
Still, Swen-Kiang, was a prudent girl,
though not prudent enough to prefer
an old King to a young lover, and that
this artists bread might not lack for
butter, she hurried up into her cham
Der, fetched a jcwel-casket from her
dressing table, and returning gave it
to Tu-foo. He took the casket care
fully under his left arm, gave his right
to the Princess and the two stepped
into little boat which was anchored
near by. Tu-foo took the oars and
rowed off in the direction of the Island
of Bliss
"See, there is the bark; 1t Is already
O long distance away from the shore;
soon they will land on the Blissfui
Island. When Pelikan, who had been
sleeping since dinner time, woke up
and roarcd for his daughter, alas! she
was nowhere to be seen. The Emperor
rushed down to the sea-shore, peered
out over the water, saw the boat,
recognized the fugitives, and called
loudly for his men at arms There
they go marching over the little bridge
which separates the main island from the
one adjoining it. How warlike they
look in their flowing robes of panther
skin lined with astrachan, and with
quivers of tish-skin hanging over the
right shoulder! These warriors march
solemnly down TO the pier, step on
board the Chinese frigate; the Emperor
and his son-in-law, who was to have
been, King Yoo-Foo, follow and pur.
sue the flying lovers
"Poor Swen-Kiang, unhappy Tu-foo,
the frigate gains rapidly on them. The
Princess wrings her hands and weeps;
already she sees in imagination her
lover deprived of his nose, his eyes put
out, his pigtail cut off close to his head,
his legs hewed from his body, the
Chinese punishment for poor, audac-
ious young men who run off with En-.
peror's daughters. Swen-Kiang utters
u piercing scream, clasps her hands and
invokes the aid of the Chinese Venus"
''What is her namc?" asked Lucia.
Lucia answered the painter
slowly. "Some say, however, her
name is Assunta, and others assert it
to be Felicita. The goddess hears her
prayer and answers it. In the twink
ling of an eye Swon-Kiang and Tu-foo
are turned into two pretty little birds.
There, look! they are flying up into the
blue sky, billing and kissing each
other as they go. That is the story,
fair ladies, the plate tells me. y
''And the pigtails, the fine pigtails of
Swen-Kiang and Tu-foo, what became
of themP"
True, had forgotten the pigtails.
They were left lying in the boat and
were changed by the goddess into two
long, ugly snakes; and when the
hump-backed King Yoo-Foo, and the
Lord High EXecutioner, Wong-Bang,
his constant companion, stepped on
board the boat to look for the lovers
one of the snakes bit the Kings toe
and the other the Lord High Execu-
toner's heel, causing them both to
jump very high and swear very loudly,
in Chinese. "
You may suppose that this was all
very pleasing to Lucia, Assunta and
Felicia, and is it not to you alsoP-
Boston Budget.